A recent NBC News poll has found that despite legal investigations into his past conduct and recent criminal charges, two-thirds of Republican primary voters still support former President Donald Trump. This support, along with Trump’s double-digit lead over his nearest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, makes him the clear front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.
The poll results are in contrast to the majority of Americans who do not want either Trump or President Joe Biden to run for president in 2024. Additionally, half of those who do not want Biden to run cite his age as a “major” reason. Trump is 76 years old, and concerns about his age have not been raised extensively.
News Poll Results
The poll, conducted from April 14-18, found that 46% of Republican primary voters picked Trump as their first choice, followed by DeSantis at 31%, former Vice President Mike Pence at 6%, and a three-way tie between former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Senator Tim Scott, and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson at 3%. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy received 2%.
DeSantis was the second choice for 33% of GOP primary voters, followed by Trump at 20% and Haley at 14%.
The poll also revealed that 68% of Republican primary voters believe that the investigations into Trump’s past conduct are politically motivated and designed to prevent him from being president again. These voters feel that they must support him to prevent his opponents from winning.
The poll found that 52% of all voters believe that Trump is being held to the same standard as anyone else accused of the same crime. Meanwhile, 43% believe that he is being unfairly targeted.
In terms of overall approval ratings, 41% of all adults surveyed said they would vote for Biden in the general election, while 47% said they would vote for the eventual Republican nominee. Biden’s job approval rating is at 41%, with 54% disapproving.
Finally, on the topic of abortion, 58% of adults surveyed believe it should be legal, either always or most of the time, while 38% believe it should be illegal, either with or without exceptions. These results are essentially unchanged from a year ago.
Despite the poll results, Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research notes that “2024 is shaping up to be a sequel of the 2020 election,” which could result in a divisive and uninspiring general-election rematch between Biden and Trump.
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